AFTER paying a successful visit to KSA, Prime Minister Imran Khan is now in New York to lead Pakistan delegation to the UN General Assembly session that takes place in the backdrop of unprecedented atrocities being committed by Indian occupation forces in Jammu and Kashmir. The premier has vowed to forcefully raise voice for Kashmiris in a bid to apprise international community about gravity of situation in Occupied Kashmir and the need to mount pressure on New Delhi to respect human rights there.
The UN General Assembly session provides a unique opportunity to project the cause of Kashmiris and also highlight other issues of concern and interest to Pakistan through various meetings of the world forum and in bilateral meetings with world leaders. As Prime Minister Imran Khan enjoys good reputation, it is hoped that he will make a convincing case for Pakistan and Kashmir. His telephone contacts and that of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have evoked positive response from various capitals yet there is an overall impression that international community is not doing what it ought to do in view of gravity of situation in Occupied Kashmir where about forty days of curfew have made lives of the people miserable. The territory continues to be under military siege with telephone and Internet connections cut-off, thousands of Kashmiri people languishing in jails and their leaders under detention. Such a situation in some other part of the globe would have evoked serious interest of the world community to intervene and ensure respect for human rights.
The United Nations has a special responsibility to act and safeguard rights of Kashmiris and also takes measures for implementation of its longstanding resolutions. India is in serious violations of the UN Security Council resolutions but there is a feeling that influential members of the world community are not taking up the issue of Kashmir seriously with India because of their economic and trade interests. It is also to be seen what transpires from his scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump as in the past the Prime Minister pinned great hopes on him, which did not materialise.
